THE first of a rare breed of reptiles to be born in the UK has been hatched near Dorchester.

Jerry Cole has bred seven Fiji Banded iguanas matching the total number of the breed in European zoos.

He said: "It's an extremely rare lizard.

"Only one or two people in the world have had one of these hatch in their hand.

"I'm as chuffed as anything. This doesn't happen often it's ground-breaking."

Jerry has two breeding pairs of the iguana at BJ Herp Supplies, which has had success with other rare breeds of exotic animals.

And, after incubation of around six months, he has raised four males and three females all thriving.

One very special baby has gone off on loan to the Cotswold Wildlife Park. It is the first time the species has been on display to the public in this country.

Mr Cole said: "They're gorgeous animals with nice personalities. They're friendly and inquisitive."

The iguanas eat fruit, vegetables, insects and flowers and the team at BJ Herp are busy growing nasturtiums to keep the babies happy.

Mr Cole plans to breed from several of the baby iguanas by introducing a new bloodline from Rotterdam.

BJ Herp works with many leading zoos on breeding projects.

In 2004 Mr Cole and his team worked with London Zoo to produce the first ever beaded lizards to be bred in the UK.